1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pillar trim mounting structure to be mounted below an air bag installed on the rim of a roof, and more particularly, concerns a pillar trim mounting structure in which a conventional ornamental cap is eliminated, a simple appearance can be achieved, good mounting can easily be achieved, and the movement of the air bag can be smoothly controlled in a direction of expansion.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a structure in which the air bag is built in a steering wheel, an instrument panel, or the like is adopted in order to ensure passenger safety. Recently, curtain-type air bags have been installed along the side of the roof of vehicles in a front-rear direction thereof in order to protect passengers in the case of impact to a side of a vehicle.
As shown in FIG. 7, an air bag 2 (shown by a diagonally shaded area) is accommodated the inside of a rim 1a of a roof trim 1, and is mounted on a roof panel (not shown).
The pillar trim can easily be mounted in a single motion using a clip in a structure having no air bag 2; however, in a structure in which the pillar trim mounting structure is mounted below the air bag 2, the clip may be disengaged from the pillar trim as a result of the clip being unable to withstand the expansion force of the air bag 2. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, an embossed mounting section 3a is formed on a pillar trim 3 at the back thereof, a bolt 4 is fastened in a mounting hole 5a of a pillar panel 5 through a mounting hole 3b, thereby providing firm mounting.
An ornamental cap 6 is fitted in an opening 3c of the mounting section 3a of the pillar trim 3 to cover the head of the bolt 4 to improve the appearance, and an upper end 3d of the pillar trim 3 is brought into contact with and sealed with the surface of a roof trim 1 which covers the air bag 2 mounted on a roof panel 7, at the juncture of the roof trim 1 and the pillar trim 3.
In addition, a separating bracket 8 is provided at the upper end of the pillar panel 5 so that the direction in which the air bag 2 expands can be controlled.
As described above, since in the conventional case, the pillar trim 3, which is mounted below the air bag 2 disposed on the roof section, has a fastening structure which includes the bolt 4 in order to provide sufficient strength to withstand the expansion force of the air bag 2, the mounting thereof is cumbersome, and it should be noted that the ornamental cap 6 which covers the head of the bolt 4 results in an unpleasant appearance, thereby decreasing the quality of the product design.
Furthermore, it is necessary that the separating bracket 8 be assembled at a boundary between the roof panel 7 and the pillar panel 5 in order to smoothly control the movement/expansion of the air bag 2 in the direction of expansion. This causes the number of steps to increase, thereby decreasing productivity.
The present invention is made in consideration of the above problems. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pillar trim mounting structure in which a curtain-type air bag is installed along the side of a roof panel in a front-rear direction of a vehicle and which is to be mounted below the air bag, wherein a bolt fastening structure is eliminated, thereby improving mountability, giving the design a simple appearance, and enabling the air bag to be smoothly controlled in the direction of expansion when activated.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a pillar trim mounting structure in which a curtain-type air bag is disposed along the side of a roof panel which faces the interior of the vehicle and which is to be mounted below the air bag, wherein the pillar trim is mounted on a pillar panel by a clip mounted on a clip mount extending from the back of the pillar trim, wherein locking pieces extending horizontally are provided on one of the pillar trim and the pillar panel, wherein locking holes each engaging the locking pieces are formed on the other one of the pillar trim and the pillar panel, and wherein each of the locking pieces has an engaging-force reinforcing device for increasing the engaging force between the locking piece and the locking hole in accordance with the pressure exerted by the air bag when the air bag expands.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the engaging-force reinforcing device provided for the locking piece is a pawl section engaging the rim of the locking hole, which is formed at the end of the locking piece in such a manner as to be bent downward.
In this instance, preferably, the locking pieces are provided on both sides of the clip mount. When at least one reinforcing rib extending in the mounting direction is formed at the back of the locking piece, it produces a reinforcing effect against a reactive force when the air bag expands and prevents deformation of the locking piece, thus increasing the strength of mounting the pillar trim.
Furthermore, when a downward-sloping guide face is formed at the top end of the upper surface of the locking piece, the locking piece can easily be inserted in the locking hole of the pillar panel.
As is apparent from the above construction, in the pillar trim mounting structure according to the present invention, the clip mount is formed on the back of the pillar trim; the locking pieces extending horizontally are provided in the vicinity of the clip mount on one of the pillar trim and the pillar panel; and the locking holes each engaging the locking pieces are formed on the other one, wherein the clip mounted on the clip mount is press fitted in the mounting hole of the pillar panel, and wherein the pawl section of the locking piece positioned near the clip is inserted in the locking hole of the pillar panel. Thus, when the air bag is activated, the pawl section of the locking piece and the rim of the locking hole of the pillar panel are engaged to each other in accordance with the pressure exerted by the air bag, thus ensuring that the strength of mounting the pillar trim has sufficient strength to withstand the expansion force of the air bag.
Furthermore, since the conventional bolt is eliminated, there is no need for the ornamental cap; thus, a simple appearance of the pillar trim can be achieved.
In addition, since the locking pieces are provided on both sides of the clip mount, the locking pieces work as a partition which can guide the air bag to expand toward the interior when the air bag is activated. Accordingly, the expansion of the air bag can be smoothly controlled, and the separating bracket, which is conventionally assembled on the panel, can be eliminated.
In addition, since the locking pieces are arranged on both sides of the clip mount, the air bag can expand more smoothly, and the locking pieces and the locking holes can be more securely engaged to each other.